HB 26-1033

HB 26-1033 expands Colorado's Cottage Foods Act by allowing home cooks to sell refrigerated foods and those containing meat products. Producers must take a food safety course and register with the state health department before selling their products. The bill also increases the annual revenue limit for cottage food producers from $10,000 to $150,000, adjusted annually for inflation. Health agencies can conduct random inspections and impose fines if necessary. This bill has been signed into law, meaning home cooks in Colorado now have more opportunities to sell their homemade foods under stricter but supportive regulations.

Official Summary

The bill expands the 'Colorado Cottage Foods Act' (CCFA) by allowing for the sale of homemade foods that require refrigeration and foods that include meat and meat products. A producer of a food (producer) that requires time and temperature control must take a food safety course that includes food handling training concerning time and temperature control and acquire and maintain proof of course completion.      A producer selling products under the CCFA is required to register with the department of public health and environment (department) before selling. The department must issue a registration number to each producer and maintain an electronic registry of producers.      The department or a county, district, or regional health agency may implement random inspections of a producer's home kitchen and establish additional training requirements and local complaint response procedures, including corrective action plans and follow up checks, if done at minimal cost to the producer. The bill also authorizes the department or a county, district, or regional health agency that inspects or investigates homemade food products produced pursuant to the CCFA to impose a fine for a violation of the requirements of the CCFA and to recover the cost of the inspection or investigation.     The bill removes the $10,000 increases the cap on net revenues that a producer can earn under the CCFA each calendar year from $10,000 to $150,000. The department is required to adjust this cap annually for inflation .     The bill specifies that the CCFA does not apply to the sale of certain food products.      The CCFA is scheduled for repeal on September 1, 2028, subject to sunset review.       The bill creates the cottage foods cash fund (cash fund) and transfers $300,000 into the cash fund ($200,000 from the medication administration cash fund and $100,000 from the assisted living residence cash fund). The bill also appropriates $119,354 to the department to implement the act.(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Topics

Votes